LONDON — Iga Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, had to fight through a rocky second set before pulling out a first-round victory Tuesday, defeating American Taylor Townsend by a score of 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.
The third-seeded Swiatek, who holds six Grand Slam titles and is a former world number one, appeared to be in complete control early on. She broke the 30-year-old Townsend’s serve twice in the opening set and closed it out with a sharp forehand winner.
However, the second set told a very different story. Swiatek’s forehand reliability fell apart, with groundstrokes repeatedly sailing out of bounds. Townsend, ranked 79th in the world, took full advantage — breaking Swiatek’s serve twice and sealing the set with a stunning backhand drop volley followed by an ace.
The third set opened with a grueling first game that stretched to 10 deuces, during which Swiatek committed three double faults. Yet that difficult game seemed to refocus the champion. Her unforced errors dropped off, and after both players exchanged breaks of serve, it was Swiatek who ultimately came out on top, finishing the match with an ace.
